FanPost

Draft Jameis

My run for Johnny is over. Regardless of how I still feel about him, he is entrenched as the long term answer for the Browns. Moving forward, I look at our team and continue to realize that we are a QB away from truly competing for a playoff run. The advantage that we now have is that fact that the rest of the teams who are in the same boat as us i.e: Eagles and Cardinals, will get lower draft picks than us.

My actual analysis of Jameis will come closer to the draft, but regardless of what you think about the character issues, I am telling you right now that he is hands down the best QB in this draft class. While Mariota's wiry frame and gimmicky offense remind me of RG3, Jameis has proven that he can be a leader and make whatever plays are necessary to get the win which is why I think his closest comparable would be Andrew Luck. They both rebound well from mistakes, are phenomenal athletes and most importantly have the build that allows them to be mainly pocket passers with dangerous scramble abilities. Jameis’ jump cut that led to a 20 yard touchdown was still one of the best moves I have ever seen in my life.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/08/jameis-winston-scores-on-ludicrously-athletic-touchdown-run

And that doesn’t even hold a candle to his amazing 2 minute drill in the national championship last year. With no losses on a statistically great college resume, great mechanics and the body frame that supports mobility at the next level, he is without a doubt a QB that can take us to the next level. While his character is concerning, the same as I said about Johnny, this is why we have Jeff. He has proven that he can win with these style of quarterbacks and that given his tenure and the respect he has earned, he can handle any personality. Go ahead and let Mariota go 1st overall, getting Jameis at a cheaper value will be the best move we could make.

While trading up for a QB does not sound ideal, I think the Redskins game proved that we have gotten quite a lot of young talent from our previous drafts to carry us for a while. Also, given his character issues there will be a lot of teams who will already have him off their draft boards allowing the trade to be had at a discount compared to what RG3 was taken for. Oakland, Tennessee and Jacksonville (who will all be ahead of us) all have quarterback experiments that should inhibit them from reaching for someone that high, especially with those concerns and a players like Amari Cooper on the board. Washington has a conundrum at the position, which I don't think drafting another QB high will solve and the Jets will most likely be bringing in a new head coach who might not feel comfortable with the circus that Jameis could potentially bring to NYC, especially given the slight similarities to Geno.

While it is still entirely possible that Florida State wins the national championship again and Jameis turns that momentum into a number 1 pick, at the moment all eyes are on Mariota and we must leverage his relevance and "better character" to get the best QB in this upcoming draft. With Harbaugh hopefully going to Michigan and the Cardinals still reeling after losing Palmer, this could be the key catalyst to propel us into actual playoff conversation. Jameis 2015 or bust